Rice Sticks

Last night on my way home I stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant where I used to eat pho. I stopped eating there because of the tiny portions (see my post about it by clicking this link: ….Pho….
Knowing that I would be disappointed by the skimpy pho, I placed my hope into an order of summer rolls…….
Well, the same crappy principle as with the pho (a ton of stock, a tiny amount of anything else); only this time, there was a ton of wrapper (2 per roll !) and just a tiny bit of filling. I could have kicked myself for not following my own previous advise to avoid this place.
So, what’s an old cook to do? Well of course, make my own version of rice paper rolls 🙂
Mind you, these are NOT Vietnamese summer rolls! And, because of their plumpness, rather than eating them by hand, I suggest you use a fork in order to have a less messy encounter with these babies. 🙂
However, these rolls consist of the exact amount and ratio of ingredients I craved when I ordered the rolls in the restaurant and was so badly disappointed:
A small amount of wrapper, LOT’S of noodles and shrimp, and NOT drowned in fish sauce and basil. Ahhhh, the good life ! 🙂>Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !>>P.S.If you prefer the more traditional skinny shape, just arrange the filling accordingly.P.P.S.
I am still hoping to find a decent Vietnamese restaurant around here 🙂>

Hans’ Peanut Sauce

This recipe may not be the most authentic, but it’s really, reallygood.
Serve it as a dipping sauce, over hot or cold noodles or as a salad dressing.

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons chili paste

½ teaspoon garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Whisk again before serving.>><

>>Braised teriyaki chicken tastes more intense of teriyaki sauce than grilled or sautéed teriyaki chicken, because the braising process allows the sauce to penetrate the meat much better than marinating and then grilling or sauteing would.
However, if you only like your chicken skin crisp, this preparation might not be for you. But if on the other hand you do like the texture of a braised chicken skin (think coq au vin as a reference) and if you love the braising liquid/sauce from a well-seasoned braised dish (again, think of the great sauce a coq au vin will provide), this “Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks” will make you happy. The additional sauce from the chicken provides a wonderful coating to the already flavorful rice sticks.
Superb food, achieved with small effort and in little time. Life is Good !>Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !>>Click here for more Teriyaki Dishes on ChefsOpinion>Click here for Coq Au Vin on ChefsOpinion>
>>

> >Here is the thing – if yo are able to use anything fresh in preparing food – not frozen, not canned, not otherwise preserved – that’s usually the best way to go (although not always).
But, as I have mentioned before, we are not always so lucky as to have access to fresh, unprocessed food. Then, it is my honest opinion that as long as you use good quality preserved food, you will be able to prepare great dishes – just don’t skimp on the quality of the ingredients.
Having said that, if you have a well stocked larder and freezer, you are ready to prepare a wide variety of wonderful dishes without being a slave to store opening hours and store offerings.
Last night for dinner I shared a prosciutto sandwich with Bella at around 9.00 pm. Usually I can withstand any temptation of more food after that time of day, but while setting up to watch a great movie (A simple Plan) , hunger struck me with all its nasty temptations, (Bella of course is always in that state) :-), so I decided to whip up something fierce and satisfying for the both of us.
My larder revealed (among a lot of other goodies) rice noodles (Bánh phở), canned octopus, canned anchovies and canned mussels. In the freezer I had some leftover homemade lobster balls and a bag of titi shrimp. Together with fresh chilies, scallion and onions as well as garlic paste, grated ginger, chili paste, chili oil and sesame oil, this made for a very fiery, very satisfying midnight snack which, after the end of the movie, motivated Bella and I to go on a 1,5 hour early morning walk from 2.30 am to 4,00 am. Life is good !>Bon Appetit ! Spice-up your Life !> >

How to cook rice noodles:
Place rice noodles in a deep bowl. Bring a good amount of water to boil. Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles until they are completely submerged. Stir the noodles to prevent from sticking. Check often to see if they’re cooked through. This will take 1 – 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. Once the noodles are tender, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Toss them with a bit of sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other if you’re not going to use them right away. If you use the noodles in a stir-fry, under-cook them or they will become mushy. If used for soup, you can cook the noodles straight in the soup.

> >Last night I wanted to have a spicy snack at around midnight. Had to be quick and easy. Here is what I prepared. It took about 3 minutes of actual prep time and less than 15 minutes from start to finish. (I had some blanched rapini and cooked lai fen in the fridge from yesterday’s lunch and green lips on the half shell in the freezer). What a convenient product fresh frozen seafood is. If you make sure you buy quality merchandise and handle it with care, frozen seafood will make for a great snack or quick meal in no time. This soup was just awesome 🙂>

Saute onions in peanut oil until translucent, add tomatoes and chilis, saute for one minute. Add curry paste, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and almonds and saute until fragrant. Add all other ingredients except mussels, noodles and cilantro and simmer for 7 minutes. Strain. Add mussels and noodles. Return to heat until heated through. Remove from heat. Add fish sauce and scotch bonnet sauce to taste (be careful with the fermented fish sauce, check HERE first). To serve, top with cilantro.>>Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂>>>>